by Mel Kanner
Number 7 in a series of articles examining the changes that I have observed to the practice of nudism over the years and our society’s view of nudity.

Archive: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7
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Clothing

We, as nudists, go without clothing when we can. Which when you stop and think about it, is very strange. With a few minor exceptions, all seven billion of us on this planet, live in a culture in which clothing is the norm, and is required.

In order to understand what we get from shedding our clothes, perhaps it would be valuable to look at some of the ways we use clothes in our society. And what that says about us.

Obviously, the primary use of clothing is for protection from the weather or from hazards. It is either too cold, or there is too much sun. As nudists we know that it is not a good idea to be nude while frying bacon or welding.

Our “need” for clothing goes beyond just protection. It is ingrained into our culture, our way of life. It contributes a significant amount to our economy and the vocabularies of our languages. Coats, hats, gloves, parkas, boots, sweaters, socks, stockings, vests, pants, jackets, shoes, etc. etc. When learning a foreign language, after learning how to count from one to ten, and the colors, you work on words for clothing. (The hat, le chapeau).

We use clothing to distinguish between different groups: our tribe from that other tribe (we wear blue feathers, they wear red feathers); our religion from that other religion (we wear skull caps, they wear turbans); our leader from the rest of us (s/he wears a crown, we don’t); our country from that other country (we wear lederhosen, they wear kilts).

We use clothing to distinguish between the sexes. In general, males wear pants, females wear skirts. There are exceptions, of course, and some variations in different cultures. We have particular customs, styles, ways of dressing that are different for men and women. On women’s jackets the buttons are on the left and the button holes on the right. For men it’s the reverse.

Over the centuries these styles have changed — the rules about the type of clothing permitted to be worn by the sexes have changed. Now, in our western culture women are allowed to wear pants, but men are not allowed to wear skirts (except for kilts) or dresses. Men wearing women’s clothing is a form of humor. We even have different styles of bicycles for men and women to accommodate the differences in clothing.

We use clothing to distinguish people by their function or occupation. Military uniforms are instantly recognizable. As are uniforms for police, nurses, judges, clergy. And for the employees at McDonalds and at my local big box hardware store.

We use clothing to distinguish a person’s class or status — where they are in the social order and how much money they have. In previous more class-ridden societies, such as in England during the Downton Abbey days, there were different standards of dress for each of the classes. In current North American society this is not as distinct, but it is still there. We still have white collar, blue collar.

Before I retired, I would often have to meet with customers in professional establishments. Slacks, dress shirt, and tie were considered the minimum acceptable attire. This was particularly true on the east coast. On the west coast, the tie was not necessary. Full “business” attire (for men) — suit, dress shirt, tie, dress shoes — is usually only worn by politicians, lawyers, and preachers (in the South).

(In the last couple of decades, a sort of reverse dress code emerged. Geeks developed a style of less formality, and a visiting geek (like me) who wore a tie, lost some credibility, even on the east coast. The CEO of Apple when presenting the latest and greatest Apple products does not wear a suit and tie.)

Notice that when I mentioned “dress shoes”, you knew what I meant. We have standards of formality of dress that is part of our culture. Clothing for different occasions — weddings, funerals, church, proms. Clothing for different activities — gardening, tennis, jogging. White tie, black tie, dressy, casual. We have standards as to what clothing can be worn for each occasion. Don’t be under-dressed, don’t be over-dressed. As we grow up, we are taught the appropriate “rules” for these different types of dressing. For example, look at the ads in advance of Easter to see what little girls and little boys are expected to wear.

We have standards as to what clothing can be worn with other clothing — one doesn’t wear a striped jacket with checkered pants. Some colors don’t go well with other colors. Except when it was a fad, men didn’t wear pink shoelaces. In general, even now, men don’t wear pink (except in a tie, sometimes).

I can’t speak for women here. Their clothing requirements are much more complicated. And what can and can’t go together is beyond me.

We use clothing to carry things. Pockets are very functional. Most men, for most occasions, can carry all of what they need without some sort of external purse or satchel. At least that is the way it used to be. Now with all the extra smart phones, tablets, etc. many men (including me) carry some sort of external bag. It is still not appropriate to call it a purse, but …

We use clothing for adornment, for decoration — a ribbon in the hair, a flower in a lapel, a scarf to add some color, a piece of jewelry — rings (fingers, toes, ears), watches, earrings, cuff links, tie clasps, lapel pins. A man’s tie has no other function.

I have not exhausted the list of the ways we use clothing. Stay tuned.

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by Mel Kanner
Number 7 in a series of articles examining the changes that I have observed to the practice of nudism over the years and our society’s view of nudity.

Archive: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6
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Community

One of the things that I like about nudist parks is that most of them are communities. Particularly the smaller parks with fewer than a couple hundred members.

Beaches can be very enjoyable. One usually goes for the day, enjoys the sun, sand, water, meeting with friends, and returns home. And although there may be clubs that meet at the beach often, like the Blacks Beach Bares, they are not communities.

The parks, in contrast, can be like small towns. Enclaves with gates and fences. We know everyone and their names (at least their first names. In the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s everyone was on a first name basis because of concerns that our activities could affect someone’s job if their full identity was known). We greet each other or wave when we pass each other on the street. We are concerned about what happens to others. We inquire about each other’s health. We watch out for each other’s kids. We gather in small and large groups to share meals and camaraderie.

Many of the parks are co-ops. That is, each member is a part owner of the club and has some responsibility towards its operation and maintenance. Most of the management is done by an elected board; most of the maintenance is done by volunteers. Even the proprietary clubs, with paid staff, have volunteers — for entertainment and events.

Many of the clubs have permanent residents, living in cottages, cabins, mobile homes, park models, trailers and other RV’s. Some (like Sun Meadow) have separate residential areas with elaborate custom built homes.

And many have part time residents — that is, members who choose to spend their weekends, and other free time at their park. Often also in RV’s that end up surrounded by decks, fences, flower beds.

Even many of the larger clubs with many hundreds of members and visitors, are like larger towns. Although one may not know everyone by name, nor socialize as one large group, they can be close knit communities. They often have a large number of permanent residences, some in elaborate mobile homes and condos.

At Cypress Cove, a large proprietary club/resort in Florida, where we often snowbird, we do not know everyone by name, but we still wave to each other when we pass on the street. We make friends with people who participate in the same activities we choose, or are staying in our neighborhoods. We get together for meals or social events. There are people to help us when we need it.

Some nudist parks/resorts are not communities at all. Some are like beaches where you share a space to enjoy some time without the encumbrances of clothes. But these parks without the community essence are not the norm.

In the past we have spent some time at one of the non-community nudist resorts, and have visited many others, both large and small, but have found them to be very unsatisfying. Our nudist participation now is almost exclusively at parks that have this community feel.

This sense of community is not unique to nudist parks. Many small towns, church groups, retirement living centers, have the same community focus. Even some neighborhoods in large cities are moving toward this. And some new developments are being designed with community in mind.

I consider this community aspect to be an important part of the nudist community. More later.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact me at rights-chair@aanr-nw.org or mel@melkanner.com

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by Mel Kanner
Number 6 in a series of articles examining the changes that I have observed to the practice of nudism over the years and our society’s view of nudity.

Archive: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

Another problem at our nudist beaches and parks is photography.

Many nudists have been reluctant to disclose that they were nudists because of the fear that they might face job discrimination or censure. School teachers typically fall into this category. Being photographed nude was taking an additional risk. As a result most nudist parks have had rules about photography — typically, only on special occasions, such as an event, only by designated photographers, only for a specific purpose, and only with signed permission forms. One does not take out a Kodak Brownie and just start taking pictures.

At beaches that was not as easy to control. At our Blacks Beach outing, we could see that our looky-loo (LL) had a large camera with a large lens. His intention was obvious. And he was successfully thwarted by the Blacks Beach Bares.

But that was 10 years ago. Photography has changed. We went digital a while back. You can no longer just rip out the film from a confiscated camera. (Big film making companies like Kodak have stopped making film.) Cameras have gotten smaller and smaller but are still noticeable.

But, for quite a while now, cameras have been embedded in cellphones. Many parks banned their use while on the grounds. But that is no longer feasible. Cellphones really shouldn’t be called phones, since making phone calls is only one the many functions of these personal electronic assistants. And for many, its least important. For many, their phone is absolutely necessary — calendars, text messages, email, notes, twitter feeds, Google searches, web sites, and occasionally phone calls. iPads and other tablets fall into the same category, they just have bigger screens.

And they all have cameras, usually two. And there really is no way to tell whether a person is taking a picture or just reading email. And that picture can be uploaded to the internet in seconds.

This revolution sneaked up on us while we weren’t looking. And the change is only going to increase. The electronics keeps getting smaller and faster (estimates are half the size and twice the speed every year and a half). You can already buy a pair of glasses that has almost all of your cellphone capabilities. With a camera. And a connection to the internet. You can tell it to take a picture, or movie, of anything you are looking at. (It’s called Google Glass and here is a link to it. https://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/.)

It is highly probable that they will be able to embed the same functionality into contact lenses, and there is speculation about electronic implants. Complete control of the taking of pictures at nudist beaches and parks is impossible.

There is no going back to the good old days.

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